Blues Sign Jaroslav Halak To 4-Year Deal Worth $15 Million

The Blues have signed recently acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a four year deal that will pay him $3.75 million a year.

Joe Barker or SB Nation St. Louis and St. Louis Game Time reports:

The St. Louis Blues announced today that Jaroslav Halak has a new four-year deal

SportsNet analyst, and Blues villain Nick Kypreos is reporting that the deal is $15 million dollars for four years, or a yearly cap hit of $3.75 million. TSN reporter Darren Dreger, who I trust since he didn’t take out Grant Fuhr’s knees, has the details.

St. Louis acquired Halak in June from the Montreal Canadiens for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. The deal for Halak was the first real move of new general manager Doug Armstrong.

Brad Lee Names Jaroslav Halak The Best Blues Goaltender in 15 Years

At St. Louis Game TIme Brad Lee has gone all the way back to 1996 to name new acquisition Jaroslav Halak the best Blues goaltender since Curtis Joseph.

After going through the team’s mostly forgettable recent history, Lee concludes:

Notice how few seasons see only two guys play in net? That’s pretty disturbing. And having Conklin under contract for one more season is a good thing. He could be a steadying influence on Halak this coming year.

That list of unmemorable goaltending with more than 20 names in 15 seasons. It’s sad how many seasons saw Jamie McLennan and Reinhard Divis stick around sandwiched between a new plan to find a No. 1 goaltender about every season and a half.

Right off the bat, the 25-year-old Halak gives the Blues potential for longterm stability in net the Blues haven’t enjoyed since Joseph became a starter during the first George Bush presidency – as in George Herbert Walker Bush. It’s a legit attempt to improve in a killer Western Conference. There’s still a gap between the Blues and the Red Wings and that one team that won the Stanley Cup. Will it work? We can’t wait to find out.

Blues Trade For Jaroslav Halak, Top Goalie In The NHL Playoffs

The St. Louis Blues have acquired former Montreal Candiens goalkeeper Jaroslav Halak in exchange for forwards Lars Eller and Ian Schultz according to an official team press release.

"Jaroslav's play in this year's regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs was remarkable," Blue president John Davidson said in the release. "He has had very impressive numbers in the NHL and we are thrilled that he will be wearing the Bluenote for us."

St. Louis Game Time, SB Nation's St. Louis Blues blog, is very optimistic about the trade.

Halak was the cornerstone of the Habs' push through the playoffs, being a virtual wall throughout their three series. Despite being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, Halak still finished the playoffs as the top goalie in terms of SV% at .923. During the regular season he finished with a 2.40 GAA and a .924 SV%.

[...]

In return, the Blues ship back Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. While I am upset to see a prospect like Eller go, the Blues were in dire need of a solid starting goaltender. Chris Mason put up solid numbers for us in net, but his propensity for softies and the occasional wonky move, he also became a lightning rod of derision. This gives St. Louis a solid starter in net, one of the best back-ups in the league, and a good and growing defensive corps.

Remember those blown couple goal leads and one goal losses that kept us out of the playoffs? There's hope now that's a thing of the past.